The charts above reflect information found in a new ABC News / Washington Post Poll -- done between August 16th and 20th of a random national sample of 1,014 adults, with a 3.5 point margin of error.
The top chart doesn't surprise me. It shows that a majority of the public (56%) disapproved of how Donald Trump handled the news from the Charlottesville protests, while 28% approved. That 28% are the true-believers, and would support anything Trump did. He could be filmed punching children in the face to steal their candy, and that 28% would be loyal to him.
But the bottom chart really concerns me. It shows that 50% of Americans say they oppose the "alt-right" movement, while 10% support it and another 41% say they have no opinion about it. Could it really be true that about half of the country either supports the burgeoning hate groups or don't have an opinion on them. Could they be that cavalier about hate?
I certainly hope not. I think it is more likely that too many Americans don't understand the term "alt-right". It does NOT refer to traditional conservative or right-wing ideals. It is a term invented by hate groups to disguise their racist, bigoted, and violent agenda. They want to make their hate more palatable to more people -- and it looks like that may be working.
We must make it clear to more people just what "alt-right" means. It refers specifically to a collection of hate groups (KKK, neo-nazis, white nationalists, white supremacists, etc.). We must not let hate hide behind this rather innocuous sounding terminology.